Milk and Cookies
by Ambrosia Rush
Summary: Whatever it was that Happy had expected when he walked into the bar that Quinn owned... this wasn't it.


Happy Lowman was twenty at the time, wore a brand new, full patch kutte with the kind of pride that rivalled that he had in his motorcycle- and he really loved that thing. He'd done his year of prospect bull-shit in Tacoma, but the open road called him and he decided to tryout being a Nomad.

He liked Rane Quinn, the Nomad president, right away. Solid, fair, the kind of man you wanted at your back in a bar room brawl, or any kind of fight really. There was respect between them that was quick to form.

Quinn owned a bar called Sanctuary, in Red Willow California, a four hour drive from the mother charter in Charming. The bar doubled as a motel with four rooms like wings on either side of the large brick bar structure. It was a good place for Nomads to crash when really needed it, a place for big parties, and a place for church whenever the Nomad charter had club business that needed attending. Normally the Nomads did church with whatever charter happened to be closest, but even the Nomads had their own business now and then so it worked well to have a place that was secure.

Ithappened out of odd circumstances.

Happy had been near Red Willow and decided to check in, see if there was any club business that needed him, he was low on cash, could use a pay day.

He parked out in front of Sanctuary and stared at it a moment. The central brick building was higher than the wings of motel rooms, white siding covered them. The redwood door had a large silver reaper knocker and a _'CLOSED go-the-fuck-away' _sign. Looked the same as it had when he'd last left. He killed the engine and removed his helmet, leaving it behind as he walked with quick purposeful strides. He completely ignored the rude closed sign and walked right in, freezing mid-step.

There was a little plastic purple table in the middle of the bar. Three chairs surrounded the round table, a yarn haired doll in one, what appeared to be a Hallowe'en zombie doll in another, and perhaps the most shocking of all was the little girl in the third, pouring the yarn haired doll some imaginary tea.

It took a moment to get over his shock, but he shut the door behind him figuring one of the Nomads had left his kid around for some old lady or croweater to watch over. It happened.

The little girl turned at the door closing and she beamed. "Hi!"

He stared at her a moment, shifted slightly. "Hi."

She stood and dragged over a fourth plastic chair. "Would you like some tea?"

"No," he responded shortly. He stomped through Sanctuary in his combat boots surveying the immediate area. "Who's watching you?"

"My daddy," she responded. "How about cookies?" She pointed to the plate of three cookies in the middle of her table. "Would you like a cookie?"

"No." With his hands on his hips he stared at her. She blinked with her big blue eyes that seemed slightly out of proportion with the rest of her little face. Her dark blonde hair was in pig tails one higher than the other, the elastics had coloured balls, one side was yellow, the other a lime green. "Have you seen Quinn?"

"Only me and Daddy are here," she said wiping some cookie crumbs from the hem of her purple jersey dress, her stockings were white with green poke-a-dots, she wore black combat styled boots, it was an odd combination. "My name is Quinn. Well my last name is. I can spell it too. Q-U-I-N-N," she flashed a proud smile at him and he recognized the grin even if it was smaller in size.

"Huh," was the only response Happy had. He didn't even know Quinn had a kid.

"Want me to get Daddy? He's in the backroom. He has to work. He said I had to play with my toys. Gave me cookies but he forgot the milk," she pouted a bit.

"No." Happy knew how to get to the backroom. "You just... stay." He left the little girl and walked down the hall, past the mens and womens washrooms, past the three dorm styled rooms for any Nomads who needed a place to crash, he pushed open the last door. "Quinn?"

"Back here, brother," Quinn called back. The man stood in front of the shelves with a clipboard in hand, his black knit cap covered a good portion of his dark blond hair, he scratched at his beard in an absentminded fashion. "What are you doing here, Hap?"

Happy took a seat on a stool and adjusted the kutte that matched very closely with Quinn's, only his had a Men of Mayhem patch as well as a Unholy Ones near the bottom. At that time, Happy's just had Nomad. "Came to see if there was any work..." and for once he couldn't help himself. "You have a kid." He just had to say it, have the man confirm it. It seemed so wildly out of place that Happy couldn't really wrap his head around it.

"Really. Didn't notice," Quinn replied dryly a slight smirk on his face as he marked a few things down for inventory on the bar and then tossed the clipboard onto the cramped messy desk.

Shifting in his seat he ran a hand over his short dark hair, he was contemplating shaving it all off, hadn't decided yet. He decided to let the sarcasm slide. Wasn't his business. Shouldn't have asked. "Any work?" he asked again.

"Got a few things that might need some attention if you plan on sticking around a few days. You can use one of the dorm rooms."

"How much?"

"You keep up on your dues?"

"Yes."

"Then it's yours if you need it. Less you got somewhere else to be."

"No."

Quinn waited a beat. Happy knew Quinn was trying to say something that would require more than a word in response. Happy's short speech was something of an annoyance to Quinn, who took to needling and prying information out of the younger man.

"Got three kids. All girls." Quinn waited, but Happy just stared absorbing the information. He didn't ask questions. "That one out there is the youngest." Happy just blinked and said nothing. "Did she introduce herself?"

The direct question required a response. "No."

"Hm. Usually does," Quinn leaned against his desk. "Unnaturally friendly that kid. Don't know where she gets it from."

"The other two?"

Quinn smiled. "Brooklyn and Sidney live with their mothers."

Happy made a questioning face but Quinn appeared to be waiting, Happy knew the man didn't like having one sided conversations- told him as much- so Happy finally made himself ask. "You named them after cities?"

"Where they were conceived," Quinn barked out a laugh. "Out there is Indiana."

"Sidney?"

"My ass going to Sidney is a long story that requires copious amounts of alcohol to tell. Girl is eleven... I think."

"Brooklyn?"

"Her mother is nuts. Has full custody, I got incarcerated a few months after the girl was born, she's the oldest, sixteen. Christ," the man shivered. "I have a teenaged daughter."

Happy actually laughed a bit at the horror on the man's face.

"Not funny. You just wait," the threat hung over Happy's head.

He shook his head. "No way," he rasped. "Never having kids."

"That's what I said, then the condom broke and Brooklyn came around nine months later."

"Regret it?"

Quinn paused a moment. "No. I don't. I don't see her often, but... she's my kid... you can't understand. You're not a father."

"So where's Indiana's mom?"

"Dead," Quinn replied and Happy grimaced. "She was in a four car pile up when she was eight months along. Died on the way to the hospital. They managed to save Indie though. Someone that small... you don't think they should be able to survive... but she pulled through."

"So... who..." Happy wasn't quite sure if he should even ask.

"Who takes care of her?" Quinn asked for him, Happy nodded. "I do. Full custody and everything. Got to keep my ass from prison though... can't do another stint, not with my girl depending on me. Martha or Tink takes care of her when I'm on club business, or running the bar."

There was a quiet tap on the door and then the door inched open and a head popped in. "Daddy?"

"Hey."

She stepped in, the zombie doll hanging by it's leg in her one hand. "Daddy. I'm thirsty. You forgot the milk with the cookies."

Quinn sighed. "Sorry Indie, come on," he lead them from the back room, and in the large beer fridge there was a couple quarts of milk, he took a plastic cup from behind all the glasses and poured her some. "Here."

Indiana passed her father the doll and carefully took the offered cup with two hands and took a big gulp of it leaving her with a thin milk mustache. "Thanks Daddy. Who's your friend? He wears the re-p-per like you and Cricket and Her-bert," she pronounced as two distinctly different syllables that is further punctuated by the bob of her head. "And Dax and-"

"The club members honey, got it."

Indiana nodded a few times quite seriously before turning to Happy. "So what is your name?"

"Happy."

The girl beamed. "Happy? Really?"

Happy sighed heavily. It wasn't the first time he'd got the question. Yes. That was the sad truth. His real name was Happy. God help him. His mother had been overjoyed with the birth of her first, and would be only child; and in her glee she gave him possibly the worst name ever. "Yeah."

She stood on her tip-toes to put her milk glass up on the counter, and then turned and took his hand in both of her tiny ones. He was startled and stood very, very still- kind of like how he'd react if she was a rattlesnake instead of a small child. She pulled and when he didn't move she put her entire body weight in it until he took one step forward. She kept pulling and he kept following until he was at the table. "Please sit."

He was shocked she was so comfortable around him. For the most part, people were intimidated by him, and yet that factor seemed to have no affect on the little girl. She just stared at him, waiting much like Quinn did when he wanted him to speak. Happy looked at the little chair and sat carefully as if he expected the toy chair to break, but it held, even if his knees were up to his chin. He shot a cold look Quinn's way as if daring him to laugh, but the man managed to keep it suppressed but the amusement he found in the situation was given away by the smirk upon his face.

She put one of the cookies onto a orange plastic plate and then set it in front of Happy. "Daddy," she said leaving him at the table. "Happy needs milk for his cookie."

"Is that so, Indie?" The girl nodded in earnest and while still trying not to laugh Quinn got out another plastic cup and it to three quarters so she, hopefully, wouldn't spill it on her trip back.

"You too."

"Me what?"

"Join Happy and I for milk and cookies," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I'm not really hungry."

"Daddy," the girl whined. "You haven't played with me all day. You worked. Time for milk and cookies!"

"Yeah Quinn," Happy decided if he was going to have to sit at the little table with milk and cookies, so would Quinn. "Time for milk and cookies."

While Indiana turned, carefully holding the milk glass between her hands as she took tentative steps, Quinn flipped Happy off, Happy just smiled. She finally set the glass down by Happy's plate with a big grin on her face.

"Manners, Happy," Quinn called bringing over his own glass, Indiana's and the zombie doll under his arm.

"Thank you," Happy rasped looking at the little girl.

"You're welcome, Happy." She divided the other two cookies, one on a purple plate for her father and a yellow one for herself.

Quinn sat down and was even worse off with the slight extra height he had on Happy. He put the two glasses down along with the doll.

"Thank you Daddy," she said picking up the doll and pulling it to her lap. Happy watched the girl with curiosity as she put the cookie in front of the zombie doll and made munching noises. "Good cookie, isn't it Eddy?" she asked the doll who she then made nod. Satisfied she dipped the cookie in milk and took a bit herself.

It was incredibly odd sitting at the little table. He half convinced himself that the entire day was some strange, vivid dream.

The door opened again and he cringed. Last thing he wanted was to have some of his Nomad brothers see him like this. Then again, Quinn was no better off, and that gave him a certain sense of ease. He looked over his shoulder to see a short woman with short, black hair in spikes. She wore all black head to toe, tight fitting clothing over her curvy body. "Tea party?" she asked with a smile on her cherry red lips.

"Milk and cookies," Indiana responded. "Wanna join us Tink?"

"Na, I'm all milk and cookie-d out kid," Tink replied rubbing her hand over her belly.

"Oh," Indiana responded with a pout. She then perked right back up. "Tink, this is Happy. He's a new friend."

"Is he now," Tink responded with a smirk. As she walked over and tutted. "Christ, Rane, you think you could get pig tails right by now, sit still Indie." Tink got to work at evening out the oddly placed pig-tails. "You couldn't even colour co-ordinate the elastics?"

"Those were the ones she wanted!"

"You let her dress herself again, didn't you?" Tink shook her head at the combination.

Quinn looked at his daughter with a proud smile. "She's a little anarchist." Indiana smiled back widely at her dad.

Tink gave him a cool look. "Don't you have to start setting up the bar?"

"Well... yeah."

Tink rolled her dark eyes and turned to Indiana. "Where's your coat kid? We've got a marathon of Disney movies to roll through."

The girl quickly scarfed down her cookie chugged her milk and slammed the cup down. "Dad where is my coat?" Quinn quickly stood, happy be at full height again, and grabbed her coat from the billiards table. "Tink and I are half-way through The Little Mermaid! Urs-Urser..." She turned wide-eyed to Tink.

"Ur-sa-la."

"Ur-sa-la is mean and has legs like an octo-octo," she shot a look at Tink again.

"Octopus."

"Like an oc-to-pus," Indiana shuddered as Quinn came up behind her and held out her coat "Gross."

Indiana put her arms through the arm holes in her jacket and turned. Quinn crouched down and did the zipper right up to her chin.

Tink then pulled the zipper down a little. "Don't choke her out, Rane."

Quinn did it back up a little more. "I don't want her catching a cold, Tink."

"Tink, can we have twinkies?"

"Ask your father."

"Daddy, can Tin-"

"Yeah, sure-"

"Yes!"

"-after you finish your dinner. That includes any vegetables Tink puts on your plate."

Indiana sighed heavily. "Aw, man!"

Still crouched he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Love you."

She kissed him soundly on the cheek back. "Love you too, Daddy." She then turned and kissed Happy on the cheek too before he could even register the move. "Bye Happy!" She then took Tink's hand and they headed for the door.

"I'll have her back at the bar by ten in the morning," Tink told Quinn. "You better be on time."

"Always am," Quinn responded standing back up and crossing his arms over his chest. His girl shot him one more wave and blew a kiss before the door closed behind them. Quinn turned to see Happy's hand over where Indiana had kissed him. "Hell of a kid."

"Yeah," Happy responded practically jumping back to his feet.

"Help me move the table and chairs to the back room?"

Happy gave a sharp nod, and the two men got to work at hiding any evidence that a little girl had been there with them.

::

Thanks for reading :)


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